Scientists on NASA's Lucy mission continue to analyze data collected during the spacecraft's April 20 encounter with the main-belt asteroid Donaldjohanson.

These images were captured by the spacecraft's L'LORRI imager just minutes before its closest approach to Jupiter. This successful dress rehearsal has filled the team with confidence that both the spacecraft and the operations team are fully prepared for the upcoming main events—the encounters with the Jupiter Trojan asteroids.

The spacecraft itself is currently in a relatively quiet cruise phase, continuing its journey through the main asteroid belt. Lucy is moving away from the Sun at more than 30,000 miles per hour (50,000km/h), and the research team will continue to monitor the spacecraft as it heads toward the colder, darker regions of the outer solar system.

Once Lucy reaches the Trojan asteroids, it will conduct four flybys, observing at least six asteroids (including two moons discovered by the Lucy team) in less than 15 months. The first encounter is scheduled for August 2027 with the asteroid Eurybates.